1. The Guitar Promotes Self-Discipline
The road to becoming an accomplished guitarist is long, with a steep learning curve and undoubtedly requires a lot of self-discipline and determination to succeed. If you believe the (random!) theory that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert at something, it breaks down like this.That’s great discipline! But chances are you’re not interested in reaching that high of a skill level. Whether you want to learn some campfire tunes or become the best of the best, there’s no shortcut to learning guitar.
I mean, you can’t buy your first tool and magically nail Free Bird after a few hours of learning, right? So by sticking to a regular training schedule and continuing to the progress, you will undoubtedly improve your level of self-discipline.
2. The Guitar Can Help Improve Your Memory
A 2014 study showed that being musical not only a helps us access previously stored memories, but also helps us store new ones. And that’s an advantage that will a last you a lifetime! Another study from 2011 showed that older musicians have better memory skills compared to non-musicians.
3. The Guitar Improves Your Listening Skills
Problems hearing speech in noisy environments is a common complaint as we age. But don’t worry, because the guitar can help us here too! The same memory study mentioned above also found that older musicians had better ability to recognize speech in noise compared to non-musicians.
4. The Guitar Gets You
A 2014 study commissioned by eBay UK found that 90% of Brits polled found a person who plays the guitar more attractive! Now that the eBay boffins say it’s true…
5. Guitar Helps With Verbal Intelligence
A 2011 study – Short-Term Music Training Improves Verbal Intelligence and Executive Function – found that 90% of children who took music lessons achieved better verbal skills. Another 2010 study found that an children who started studying music before age 7 developed larger vocabularies, higher verbal intelligence, and better understanding of grammar. Similar findings were also found in a adults. After all, you learn a new language when you pick up an instrument!
6. The Guitar Improves Your Fine Motor Skills
Fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination immediately begin to develop from the first time you pick up the guitar. Each time you practice, your brain rewards you with a ever-increasing accuracy, an ability that also the translates into many other activities. A 2009 study examining the effects of musical training on the development of brain structure in a children showed a correlation between learning to play an instrument and fine motor development.
7. The Guitar Increases Creativity
Learning to play the guitar allows your brain to work in new and creative ways, which translates into other activities in your life. Many creative people will use the tool as a way to get “in the zone” before starting their next task. It’s a great way to get your creative juices flowing! As we mentioned in point 5 above, playing an instrument is a fun and uplifting the pastime. As a result, you probably feel happier when you’re jamming with a guitar, and when we’re happy, our imaginations are at their best and most creative!
8. Guitar Boosts Your Immune System
Playing an instrument has also been shown to directly help improve the efficiency of the immune system. A 2013 study found that playing music increased the body’s level of the immunoglobulin A antibody as well as natural killer cells. They are cells that prevent the invasion of viruses and increase the efficiency of the immune system.
9. The Guitar Strengthens Your Arms
More than 20 different muscles are involved in playing the guitar. While you might think that the fingers do most of the work, it’s actually the arms where most of the movement comes from. As a result, most guitarists develop strong arms during their musical career. In addition, playing the guitar also helps to improve the flexibility of the entire arm because of the muscles used are constantly moving.
